I don't want to see bad things happen, but there is a certain amount of risk that attaches to trying to help another rider on the water, especially with runaway kites. I have tried to catch runaway kites before and, the one time I did catch the kite, I almost lost a thumb. The second time, I almost got caught in the lines again.

I am not one to stand idly by when the shit is hitting the fan. I have been helping out other riders for years now. Still, there needs to be an understanding here--and this is particularly important with new kiters--that there is no entitlement to rescue absent a special relationship.

If it is gnarly out and your kiting buddy with years of experience tells you, "no worries, bro', I got your back," you should expect that buddy to retrieve your board or approach you to try to help if you are getting hammered on the water. If you are taking a lesson and you are getting worked, you have a right to expect the instuctor to try to bail your ass out.

Otherwise, you don't have a claim on the crew out there to run after you if you are eating crap or to retrieve your board. There seems to be a recurring theme with new and intermediate kiters around here, blaming everything (the wind, the current, the kite, other riders, whatever), when things go wrong. That's bullshit. Each kiter is responsible for regulating his or her own kite. That's really what it comes down to. Keep your kite under control at all times. If you can't do that because of the difficulty of the spot or weather conditions, then don't launch the kite in the first place. Find an easier spot. Spend some more time with a trainer kite, get a kite with a better safety system, get more kites so you can rig appropriately for the wind, get some better board skillz at the cable park so you can focus more on the kite, or spend more time with an instructor.

So what about the board rescues that do go on? I got a few the other day, although it was a matter of convenience and did not involve potentially losing the board. My bros hooked me up. I'll get them a few beers. But I was never under the false impression than anyone had an obligation to grab my board and bitch it over to me. And had everyone said, screw you, get your own board, I would have.

I will never blame myself for the actions of others in the kite scene. As it stands, no one died and made me god. I make decisions for myself and no other kiter around here.

As a member of the "new old school" group of kiters here, I have spent plenty of effort talking to others, in person and on these forums, regarding how to do this sport without getting hammered needlessly. Compared to just a few years ago, there are so many more resources regarding safety and instruction available to newcomers to the sport today. It is up to them to learn how to be safe out there. Such a willingness to be responsible for themselves is what will make this scene better for everyone, which is why opposition to babysitting helps make our scene better, not worse.

Tom just noted a lot of local info that will help the beginner focus in on where and when the conditions will be best for him or her.

Also, in reality, as Tom noted, other riders will tend to check you out if you are down, out of courtesy. I did the run to the rocks on Saturday. I launched and landed plenty of kites on Sunday. I even went after someone's kite last season that just about made its way under the Skyway itself, which was a gnarly situation that had me crawling over submerged rocks and swimming without a PFD or harness in some stupid current. Understand that for what it is, however. It is courtesy. It is not duty. There is an important difference between the two concepts.

In this world, there is only one person who gives a shit about you in the whole scheme of things, and that person is you! Make sure you do what is necessary to keep yourself out of trouble. If you don't care enough to do so, why do you think that anyone else will?